Stephen A White

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. It focuses on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about the natural world, how we should live, and how anyone knows anything at all. We’ll begin with a swift survey of some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

Grades: weekly responses 20%, 2 midterms 20% each, final 30%, participation 10%

Texts:

Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, S.M. Cohen, P. Curd, & C. D. C. Reeve    (4th edition 2011; Hackett pb: 978-1-60384-462-8; or e-book)

Ancient Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction, C. Shields     (2011; Routledge pb: 978-0-415-89660-3)

Prerequisites:

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required.

The Symposium is one of Plato's most seductive dialogues - and one of his most perplexing. What to make of its extraordinary polyphony and generic diversity? Its elaborate dramatic occasion/s and multiple layers and reversals? Its widely divergent conceptions of eros? Its pervasive blending of sacred and profane, bawdy and transcendent? Or its relation to other Platonic dialogues, or to other writings, older, contemporary, and later?

The seminar will explore the dialogue from multiple angles: literary and historical as well as philosophical. Topics on the agenda are likely to include: dialogue form/s, prosopography, rival disciplines and genres, Socratic method, Platonic theories of desire, philosophical accounts of eros, the symposium as a site for cultural criticism, Plato's use of myth and rhetoric, and ancient reception, including contemporary reactions.

Although much of our material will be accessible to all, readings and discussion will make frequent use of Greek, and some material will require analysis of Plato's own language. Some facility with Greek is therefore strongly recommended; anyone unfamiliar with Greek should see me before registering.

Format will be mainly presentations and discussion. Course grades will be based on active participation, including seminar presentations (number and scope depending on our size), some shorter written work, and a seminar paper (at least some for presentation to the seminar). Within those general parameters, requirements will vary according to registration: some oral and written translation for GRK 390, critical responses for PHL 381.

Everyone should have a personal copy of the dialogue and familiarize themselves with it before we begin. Burnet's OCT vol. 2 is still the standard Greek text; and good translations by Allen, Gill, Griffith, Howatson, Nehamas and Woodruff, and Rowe are widely available. Helpful background reading includes other dialogues, especially Lysis, Phaedrus, and Republic 4.

This course satisfies the History Requirement.

Prerequisites

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required.

Prerequisites

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required.

Course Description

Hellenistic philosophy, that is of the period between the death of Aristotle and (traditionally at least) 31 BC, was for centuries unjustly neglected. Over the past thirty years or so much has been done to remedy that neglect, and the distinctive schools of the period (Epicurean, Stoic, Academic, Pyrrhonian) are now recognized as continuing much of enduring and intrinsic interest. Study of the period is hampered by the fact that, with rare exceptions, their works are known only through later citations and attestations, which complicates the process of interpretation. But it is still a project well worthwhile. This course will examine key ideas and arguments from all of these schools, and the contributions they made (and debates they engaged in) concerning epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic and mind (among other things).

Grading

1 term paper (90%)

participation and/or presentation (10%)

Texts

A.A. Long, D.N. Sedley The Hellenistic Philosophers Vol. 1 (1987)

   Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0521275563

This course satisfied the History requirement.

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

Texts:  All required readings are from these three texts, available at the COOP and elsewhere:
Baird & Kaufmann, Ancient Philosophy (5th edition; earlier editions ok, but pages differ)
Plato, Protagoras (Taylor translation: Oxford 1996)
Shields, Classical Philosophy (Routledge 2003)

Grades: weekly responses 15%, midterms 25% each, final 30%, participation 5%.

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.